When we choose a career, many of us look for an interesting, engaging, and fulfilling path. Salary and job stability matter deeply, too.
Ultimately, we might seek a career projected to grow over time, stay relevant, and keep pushing us forward. You likely want to know that there will be a need for your skills, knowledge, and experience for years to come.
In software engineering, the demand is here and now – and it’s also projected to keep growing. Let’s explore this career path below, including the demand for software engineers in 2024 and beyond.
Demand for software engineers: A look at the numbers
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is one of the largest and most trusted sources for career and labor information. And their numbers are encouraging for those interested in software engineering.
The BLS categorizes software-focused jobs as “Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers.” According to the BLS, software developer jobs will increase by 25% between 2022 and 2032. For perspective, the overall job growth (of all occupations) will be just 3% during that time.
With such high demand, software developers are expected to increase from 1.6 million to over two million jobs by 2032. This means over 400,000 software development jobs were created in ten years. This is not the only computer occupation expected to experience growth through 2032. Here are some others, including their expected growth:
- Information security analyst: 32%
- Computer systems managers: 15%
- Digital designers: 15%
- Systems analyst: 10%
- Database architect: 10%
Often, high-demand and technical jobs pay well. The BLS indicates that software developers earn a median salary of $132,270, and other sources break down the roles and pay even further. Dice, for example, says that a “Principal Software Engineer” earns an average salary of $145,206. This is promising for career growth prospects once you launch a career in software engineering.
What types of software engineers are in demand?
In 2023, the jobs platform Hired released its State of Software Engineering Report. In it, the Hired team examined the types of software engineering jobs that are most in demand on the platform. According to the report:
- Frontend engineers received 25% of all software engineering interview requests on the platform
- Backend engineers receive 59% of all requests
- Full-stack engineers received 56% of all requests
For anyone unfamiliar with these differences, we often like to break software engineering down like it’s a house.
The frontend is the outside of a house – the roof, walls, and windows. This is what you see and interact with when you visit a website or app – the web pages, user interface, and design elements like buttons, text, and graphics.
The backend is the inside of a house – the foundation, pipes, and insulation. This is what’s behind the scenes of a site, application, or program, including the database and infrastructure that make it function.
Full-stack is the full house. The term full-stack engineer refers to coders and engineers who work on all components of the project. In software development, what’s happening on the outside of the house directly impacts the inside, and vice versa. Those who work on both can help their teams make software come to life and function properly.
According to the Hired report, employers said the most difficult roles to fill were backend engineers (41%), engineering managers across all areas (38%), and full-stack engineers (27%). There’s room for you to fill in these gaps!
How to Launch Your Software Engineering Career
Interested in a high-demand career that’s well-paid, engaging, and set to keep growing? Through our Hack Reactor Coding Bootcamps, you can get started right away.